Conventionally, regarding a painting method and a painting facility of the above-noted type, Patent Document 1 identified below discloses the following technical matters (see in particular, its FIGS. 14-17).
A plurality of painting areas (“painting zones”) are disposed side by side in a row. In each one of these painting areas, there are installed a downwardly oriented spraying means and a painting robot for changing a position and a posture of the painting object (a bumper of an automobile in this case) relative to paint spraying from the spraying means.
And, this Patent Document 1 discloses following technical matters also.
(A) In a shooter for feeding a painting object to a first painting area, a worker attaches a holder (a jig) for fixing the painting robot and the painting object to each other to the painting object. Then, the painting robot receives the painting object from the shooter (paragraphs 0073-0074).
(B) The painting robot can receive and transfer the painting object between the inside and the outside of a painting booth. Namely, the painting robot acts also as a conveying means for the painting object. With this, it becomes possible to omit a conveyer device which extends through the painting booth and conveys the painting object (paragraph 0079).
(C) When a primer, a base paint and a transparent paint are sprayed inside a same painting booth, if drying is needed prior to spraying of the next paint, there will be reserved, inside the painting booth, a space which allows temporary storage of the painting object. It is also possible to spray-paint a plurality of painting objects alternately (that is, they will be dried alternately in the temporary storage space) (paragraph 0081).
(D) As a plurality of painting zones, a primer zone, a base coat zone and a clear coat zone are provided. And, receipt and transfer of painting object is made possible by the painting robot between adjacent zones (paragraph 0088).